The use of the present invention is particularly suited to application in the detection of odours and in the field of so-called electronic noses, to which the following description specifically refers without loss of generality.
In the field of odour detection, devices are known comprising an analysis chamber inside which, in the area of a base wall, a plurality of sensors are arranged, each of which is adapted to detect a different characteristic of a gaseous sample. In use, the gaseous sample is conveyed through the relatively large analysis chamber above the sensors and tangentially to the sensors themselves.
EP488120 discloses a process for the continuous analysis of contaminants of a gas. A sample of the gas is passed through a plurality of analysers.
WO2012/083432 discloses methods for detecting at least one odour in a gas sample. For example, in one method the sample is passed inside a thermal conditioning chamber so as to control the temperature of the gas sample; the sample is brought into contact with different sensors.
US2005/061056 discloses a device for detecting vapours, said device being sufficiently lightweight and small enough to be hand-held.
EP2352024 discloses a sensor similar to a cartridge and formed of a housing having a base and a cover fixed to the base and provided with an inlet opening, an outlet hole and a channel for the gas to be analysed extending between the inlet opening and the outlet hole.
Devices of the type described above, although accurate, have a relatively low speed and sensitivity.
Aim of the present invention is to provide an analysis method, an analysis device and an analysis unit which allow the drawbacks of the known art to be overcome, at least partially, and at the same time are easy and inexpensive to produce.